The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-07-09
FISH AS BRAIN o o
A Popular Theory Completely Demolished
by Professor Aviator.

A Popular Theory Completely demolished
by Professor Atwater.
Even If fish we're richer in phos
phorus than meats OF other food-ma
terials, this would not establish it,
superiority for the nutrition Of the
brain or the production Of intellectual
energy. But there is no proof of any
especial abundance Of phosphorus in
the flesh Of our ordinary food fishes
differing in no important degree from
those which have been found to occur
in the flesh Of the other animals used
for the food Of nan.
Perhaps some of the readers Of this
will put me down for an iconoclast, as
did q most highly esteemed friend.
who babe me, with all candor and seri-
BUSINESS, TO beware Of thus ruthlessly
attempting to uproot an old and i'm
portant belief. But possibly they will
have the charity to leave me q humble
place in their consideration il ! add
that there is, after all, a way in which
fish may make a very useful part 81
the diet of brain-workers.
Psychologists tell us that the way
to provide for the welfare of the brain
is to see that the rest of the body is in
good order, that, in other words, the
old proverb Of "a sound mind in a
sound body" is sound doctrine. And
they are getting to tell us further that
one way in which brain-work is him
dered is by bad dietary habits. as, for
instance, overlooking the digestive
organs by taking too much food. OF
the vice of over-eating (a vice which
we Americans by 10 mean monopo.
lize), a considerable part. in this coun-
try at least, and ! think in England
and among wcll-to-do people on the
Continent of Europe, also, is the vice
of fat-eating. We are a race of fat
eaters. If any one doubts this. l think
statistics will convince him, unless he
is ready to deny the practically I'm.
animous testimony of such facts as !
have been able to gather. It comes
about very naturally and is really due
to the fertility Of our soil. the conse-
quent abundance Of food, and the
toothsomeness of food-materials rich
in fatty matters. The result of
this is that the quantity Of fat in the
average Americans dietary is very
large indeed, mainly because of the
large amounts Of meats, butter and
lard consumed, and is far in excess Of
the demands of his body, unless he is
engaged in very severe muscular work
or exposed to extreme cold, or both.
For people with sedentary occupations.
including the majority of FRAMEWORK.
ers, this simply means charging the
organism with the burden of getting
rid Of an excess of material. This ex.
cess, the psychologists and physicians,
assure us, is d ctrimental.
The flesh of fish contains less fat
than ordinary meats. Some kinds, like
salmon, mackerel. white-tish and shad,
are quite fat, but the flesh of cod, had.
dock, bass, blue-fsh, perch. founder,
indeed the majority Of our most com
nor food fishes, has extremely little Of
fatty and oily matters.
Now it seems to me very reasonable
to assume that brain-workers and other
people who do not have a great deal of
muscular exercise may very advantage
ously substitute fish in the place of a
portion Of the meat which they would
otherwise consume. l am very well
aware that such hygienic advice might
come more appropriately from q physi-
clan than from a chemist. and am
therefore glad to be able to quote from
no less an authority than Sir Henry
Thompson, who urges 1.-THE value of
fish to the brain-workcr" on the
ground that it contains, in smaller
proportion than meat, those materials
which, taken abundantly, demand much
physical labor for their complete con-
sumption, and which, without this, pro.
duce an unhealthy condition of the body,
more or less Incompatible with the
easy and active exercise of the func-
tons Of the BRAIN"
Perhaps l ought to add that the
studies OF the constitution of the flesh
OF fish in this laboratory, as well as
Investigations elsewhere, show
that, so far as the nutritive qualities
are concerned. the only considerable
difference between fish and ordinary
meats is in the proportion of oily and
matters and water. The flesh of
fish has water where meats have
O. Atwater, in Century.
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